Both the masses and the feast were attended
by the women. Frequently the guilds also had a religious
ceremonial to affirm their bonds of fidelity. They readily became
connected with the exercise of trades and with the training of
apprentices. They promoted and took on public purposes such as the
repairing of roads and bridges, the relief of pilgrims, the
maintenance of schools and almshouses, and the periodic
performance of pageants and miracle plays telling scriptural
history, which could last for several days. The devil often was
prominent in miracle plays.
Many of these London guilds were known by the name of their
founding member. There were also Frith Guilds (peace guilds) and a
Knights' Guild. The Frith Guild's main object was to enforce the
King's laws, especially the prevalent problem of theft. They were
especially established by bishops and reeves. Members met monthly
and contributed about 4d. to a common fund, which paid a
compensation for items stolen. They each paid 1s. towards the
pursuit of the thief. The members were grouped in tens. Members
with horses were to track the thief. Members without horses worked
in the place of the absent horse owners until their return.
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